PJ players, how often do you use the J pickup?

[39-Bassist]

I play with both on 80% of the time...Just a great full range tone. (But I had the privilege of experimenting with different combinations of pickups to find the pair I really enjoy)

 

[Yahboy]

I found slightly blend to J pup able sound like series wiring MM pup tone on my Charvel Pro mod PJ which has reverse P pup. Off cause those Dimarzio PJ pup also the main reason on tone shape.

 

[BAG]

My current PJ is a Fender American Performer. I’ve been almost always using the P pickup only. How about you?

On just about all my two-pickup basses I find myself very rarely, if ever, using the bridge pickup.
On the P/J's I've had I never have used the J pickup at all.... I just find it to thin to be of use to me.
The only bass where I do use the J bridge pickup is my fretless on which I rarely use the neck pickup at all.

 

[Ostie]

On my PJ, never. On my Jazz (JJ) I would use both for better noise cancelling.

 

[Brandon Shea]

I use the J pickup all the time on my Mustang, and fairly often on my Sire P8. I like the bridge pickup in the Mustang better, but they're both really useful.

Historically I took the all or nothing approach with pickup volume, but lately I've been starting with both pickups around 60% and adjusting from there. The best tones seem to lie somewhere in between, and it really just depends on the room and the day. Trust your ears!

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

I have owned several PJ basses (Euro Spectors and Warwick Streamers). My current PJ is a Fender American Performer. I’ve been almost always using the P pickup only. How about you?

I'm rarely ever using the P pickup only. I like and need the definition the J pickup brings, whether its my active or my passive PJ.

 

[FullumMusic]

My PJ is wired both pickups in parallel directly to the output jack, no volume, no tone, no blend.
So, J 100% of the time, along with the P 100% of the time.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

in standard tuning never. However, when down tuning I find the bridge J to be especially useful. My PJ is currently in C# standard, so everything gets dimed.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Blend knobs set about halfway between center detent and full P on my Yamaha BB734a and 735A PJs, playing metal with fingers and picks. P only also sounds good to me but less defined. Center detent sounds hollow, anything favoring the bridge sounds nasal. Other players make those settings sound great all day but not me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Riff Ranger]

in standard tuning never. However, when down tuning I find the bridge J to be especially useful. My PJ is currently in C# standard, so everything gets dimed.

Blend knobs set about halfway between center detent and full P on my Yamaha BB734a and 735A PJs, playing metal with fingers and picks. P only also sounds good to me but less defined. Center detent sounds hollow, anything favoring the bridge sounds nasal. Other players make those settings sound great all day but not me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I perhaps ought to have mentioned I tune mine BEAD and GCGCF, respectively.

 

[ezstep]

P - 100% volume, tone maxxed. J - around 30% volume, tone about 50%. (I have separate volume and tone for each pickup)

 

[J Wilson]

Most of the time: I really prefer that upper mid edge it adds to the beef of the split pickup.

 

[Jazz Ad]

To me a good PJ requires a humlbucking J. Because a single J can't cancel noise and won't be able to match the output of the P.
Given that, the J alone or mixed gets just as much use as the P.

 

[digmeout]

Both, the P more than the Jazz.

 

[BeyondFiredUp]

My PJ is a Peavey Milestone with a Dimarzio Model PJ set. Hot pickups, roundwounds...Both on full most of the time. Sometimes 85% and 100% either/or depending on the song.
Mellow parts: both way down equally.

 

[LowEndSoul]

I like to blend in just a tad bit of the J pickup for anything other than soul/jazz. For mellower and old school genres, straight "P".

 

[CoughSyrup]

I very much enjoy the PJ tone, blend knob centered or close to it. IMHO, the bridge pickup adds more bite to the solo P, which is useful for most music I like to play. The P pickup adds the thickness missing from two jazz bass pups, but you do miss out on the clarity of the JJ combination.

For a desert island bass, I'd be content with a PJ as long as the bridge pickup is beefy enough to keep up with the P and also hum-canceling. Throw in a series/parallel switch and I've got pretty much genre covered.

 

[HolmeBass]

All the time; anywhere from 50/50 to 75% P / 25% J.

 

[C Stone]

It’s always in there somewhere, I can’t remember the last time the bridge was
“off” so I would say blended for shaping.

 

[Pings Bass]

Man if my bass has two pickups you better know they're both gonna be on ten all the time